RAM upgrade question

[Mijo88]

So I have Windows 7 64bit with 2x2 Gb at 1333 Mhz Kingston RAM. Motherboard is Gigabyte Ultra Durable 3 P55-US3L, and CPU Intel I5 650 (2x3.2 Ghz). I want to upgrade RAM for now. I have a friend that runs a Computer store and asked him for recommendation. He said to me that if I leave my current RAM memories and add 4 GB at lets say 1600 MHz, they will work at 1333 Mhz. Same thing will happen if I remove the old ones and insert 8 GB or 2x4 GB at 1600 MHz - they will remain locked at 1333 Mhz which is weird to me. In order to unlock the higher speed I need to overclock my CPU. I checked my motherboard specifications and it says that it supports RAM speeds up to 2200 MHz. So the question is, is it true that if I insert faster modules and remove the old ones, the speed will remain locked at 1333 MHz? Is the difference between 1333 and 1600 MHz or even faster noticeable? I'm asking all of this because the price difference between 1333 and 1600 MHz exists, and not to mention the faster ones. Thank you for reading!

 

[shakeel amlay]

if the latency is lower on the 1333mhz it would be very noticeable check here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWgzA2C61z4

 

[Mijo88]

if the latency is lower on the 1333mhz it would be very noticeable check here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWgzA2C61z4

My current latency according to CPU-Z is 9. Don't know if its good or bad. Long story short: There's a trilemma if I should save money and add 4GB at 1333 MHz, add 4GB of faster RAM or replace my current RAM with 8 GB of faster RAM (that friend told me that even if I do this, speed will be locked at 1333 MHz). So I'm checking with you guys if the information I have at the moment is true, is the third option worth at all since frequency does not bring much.

 

[shakeel amlay]

Did you check the video in my link Linus explains it quite well and gives a graph. The 1333mhz isn't that bad compared to 1600mhz. Just go for the extra 4gb's of same speed. If its really that important overclock it and get the 1600mhz.

 

[Mijo88]

Did you check the video in my link Linus explains it quite well and gives a graph. The 1333mhz isn't that bad compared to 1600mhz. Just go for the extra 4gb's of same speed. If its really that important overclock it and get the 1600mhz.

Yeah, I checked it out, that's why I kinda quit the idea of replacing RAM for faster modules. Thanks!

 

[shakeel amlay]

No prob!

 

[Mijo88]

So, I bought 4GB of Kingston RAM, frequency 1600MHz since there wasn't 1333Mhz version available. Inserted it, and computer started. BIOS shows 8GB running at 1333Mhz, but computer freezes at Windows loading screen. Next, I tried running just the new 4GB module and it kept restarting at BIOS screen after a couple of seconds. Then I removed it, placed the old ones and it works now. Since it's evening here and store is closed, before I go to complain tomorrow, is there something I'm missing maybe (RAM is not dead, but some settings maybe)?

 

[shakeel amlay]

Check your settings but maybe do a new thread. I'm no expert at this. I'm practically a noob still. Just got into this in march and crammed info in from then.

 

[Mijo88]

The problem was in compatibility with motherboard. It only supports dual side modules, the one I got was single sided. So before we found that out, I brought the computer to the store and they tried several products, Kingston HyperX at 1800 Mhz worked, price difference was ~$5.

 

[shakeel amlay]

Did you use pcpartpicker to check? They have a huge list of parts and an excelent compatibilty checker. You can even test build entire pc's on there before buying a single part. Try them next if you didn't already use them ( If you used them and this happens I might just loose my faith in them).